SUNNY'S HALO SET TO RETURN TO CHURCHILL DOWNS
Sunny's Halo, the 1983 Kentucky Derby winner who stood in Texas prior to his death in 2003, is headed back to Churchill Downs. Texas' all-time leading stallion had been buried at Double S Thoroughbred Farms in Bullard, Texas, but the land has been sold, so his remains are being cremated and sent to the Kentucky Derby Museum along with his headstone.
READ THE FULL STORY ABOUT SUNNY'S HALO
did anyone see this?
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mini's mom
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No I haven't seen this story, but thanks for telling us. It will be an honor for him to be buried at Churchill.
Isn't there another horse that was laid to rest at Churchill by the museum...somebody jog my memory...
Isn't there another horse that was laid to rest at Churchill by the museum...somebody jog my memory...
A horse gallops with his lungs
Perseveres with his heart
And wins with his character. --Tesio
Perseveres with his heart
And wins with his character. --Tesio
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mini's mom
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here is the entire article from the texas thoroughbred - rita is on the board of the texas thoroughbred breeders assn - I get a news letter as my friend has a texas bred mare and we had to get her back home to her breeder - they were nice and very helpful and concerned about the welfare of these horses - to bad other people don't do this - but that is another issue
susan
Sunny's Halo, late Texas stallion and Kentucky Derby winner, to be re-interred at Kentucky Derby Museum
6/21/2006
Sunny's Halo's headstone
(photo by Denis Blake)
Sunny’s Halo will be re-interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum located at Churchill Downs, where he raced to his greatest triumph in the 1983 Kentucky Derby.
Texas’ all-time leading sire by progeny earnings, Sunny’s Halo stood his final years of stud duty at Tom and Marcia Slack’s Double S Thoroughbred Farms in Bullard, Texas, and was euthanized on June 3, 2003, following a stroke. He was buried under a headstone erected by Billy Hanna, Sunny’s Halo’s majority owner, at Double S.
Earlier this spring the 70 acres of land at Double S, including Sunny’s Halo’s burial site, were sold to real estate developers. When Rita Nugent, a concerned horse lover from Edom, Texas, learned of this, she contacted David Hooper, the executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. With Hanna’s blessing, Hooper began working with curator Jay Ferguson and others at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, to ensure Sunny’s Halo would have a final resting place in proximity to the Churchill Downs finish line.
“An animal like that deserves it,” said Nugent, who owns racing and reining Quarter Horses. “All I did was make someone aware of the situation. In one day’s time, they accomplished so much. I have great admiration and respect for horses, and it does my heart such good to know that so many people cared.”
On June 20, Sunny’s Halo was exhumed by Double S manager Pete Sackett. Live Oak Pet Services of Anderson, Texas, is handling cremation of the Derby winner’s remains before sending the urn, along with the headstone, to the Kentucky Derby Museum. The cost of the exhumation, cremation and shipping has been underwritten in part by the Derby Museum, Hanna and the relatives of the late David Foster, who owned the Canadian-bred horse at the time of his Derby victory.
A developer for the Double S property has stated that the main street in the forthcoming residential neighborhood will be named Sunny’s Halo Way.
“Having been awestruck by the striking chestnut color and physical stature of Sunny’s Halo when I first saw him in his stall before the Kentucky Derby, I became an immediate fan and rooted him to victory,” said Hooper. “Now I feel privileged to have played a role in relocating Sunny’s Halo to his final resting place at the Kentucky Derby Museum.”
More than three years after his death, Sunny’s Halo continues to lead all stallions in Texas by progeny earnings. His leading earner in 2006 is the 5-year-old Texas-bred Charming Socialite, who is owned by Paul Sutton and Bill Pettit of Weatherford, Texas. Charming Socialite has won six stakes races and earned $345,110. Sunny’s Halo, a 2-year-old champion in Canada, won nine of 20 career starts and earned $1,247,791. To date, horses sired by Sunny’s Halo have earned more than $26 million.
Sunny’s Halo will be the fourth Derby winner to be interred at the Derby Museum. Re-interment plans are not yet finalized but should coincide with a ceremony at the Museum before the end of the Churchill Downs meet on July 16. Also interred at the Museum are Derby winners Brokers Tip (1933), Swaps (1955) and Carry Back (1961).
The Kentucky Derby Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding public awareness, appreciation and understanding of the evolution and meaning of the Kentucky Derby. For additional information pertaining to the Kentucky Derby Museum please visit www.derbymuseum.org.
Back to Headlines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
susan
Sunny's Halo, late Texas stallion and Kentucky Derby winner, to be re-interred at Kentucky Derby Museum
6/21/2006
Sunny's Halo's headstone
(photo by Denis Blake)
Sunny’s Halo will be re-interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum located at Churchill Downs, where he raced to his greatest triumph in the 1983 Kentucky Derby.
Texas’ all-time leading sire by progeny earnings, Sunny’s Halo stood his final years of stud duty at Tom and Marcia Slack’s Double S Thoroughbred Farms in Bullard, Texas, and was euthanized on June 3, 2003, following a stroke. He was buried under a headstone erected by Billy Hanna, Sunny’s Halo’s majority owner, at Double S.
Earlier this spring the 70 acres of land at Double S, including Sunny’s Halo’s burial site, were sold to real estate developers. When Rita Nugent, a concerned horse lover from Edom, Texas, learned of this, she contacted David Hooper, the executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. With Hanna’s blessing, Hooper began working with curator Jay Ferguson and others at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, to ensure Sunny’s Halo would have a final resting place in proximity to the Churchill Downs finish line.
“An animal like that deserves it,” said Nugent, who owns racing and reining Quarter Horses. “All I did was make someone aware of the situation. In one day’s time, they accomplished so much. I have great admiration and respect for horses, and it does my heart such good to know that so many people cared.”
On June 20, Sunny’s Halo was exhumed by Double S manager Pete Sackett. Live Oak Pet Services of Anderson, Texas, is handling cremation of the Derby winner’s remains before sending the urn, along with the headstone, to the Kentucky Derby Museum. The cost of the exhumation, cremation and shipping has been underwritten in part by the Derby Museum, Hanna and the relatives of the late David Foster, who owned the Canadian-bred horse at the time of his Derby victory.
A developer for the Double S property has stated that the main street in the forthcoming residential neighborhood will be named Sunny’s Halo Way.
“Having been awestruck by the striking chestnut color and physical stature of Sunny’s Halo when I first saw him in his stall before the Kentucky Derby, I became an immediate fan and rooted him to victory,” said Hooper. “Now I feel privileged to have played a role in relocating Sunny’s Halo to his final resting place at the Kentucky Derby Museum.”
More than three years after his death, Sunny’s Halo continues to lead all stallions in Texas by progeny earnings. His leading earner in 2006 is the 5-year-old Texas-bred Charming Socialite, who is owned by Paul Sutton and Bill Pettit of Weatherford, Texas. Charming Socialite has won six stakes races and earned $345,110. Sunny’s Halo, a 2-year-old champion in Canada, won nine of 20 career starts and earned $1,247,791. To date, horses sired by Sunny’s Halo have earned more than $26 million.
Sunny’s Halo will be the fourth Derby winner to be interred at the Derby Museum. Re-interment plans are not yet finalized but should coincide with a ceremony at the Museum before the end of the Churchill Downs meet on July 16. Also interred at the Museum are Derby winners Brokers Tip (1933), Swaps (1955) and Carry Back (1961).
The Kentucky Derby Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding public awareness, appreciation and understanding of the evolution and meaning of the Kentucky Derby. For additional information pertaining to the Kentucky Derby Museum please visit www.derbymuseum.org.
Back to Headlines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------